Raku is a hand-shaped, low-firing ceramic technique originating in sixteenth-century Japan, developed for making tea bowls used in the Japanese tea ceremony, in which a piece is removed from the kiln while still glowing hot, rather than being allowed to cool inside it, and is typically then placed into a container with combustible material, producing rapid, uneven cooling, blackened unglazed areas from smoke and reduction, and distinctive cracked (crazed) glaze surfaces that are prized rather than treated as flaws. The technique and its name are traditionally traced to the Raku family of Kyoto potters, and a related but distinct Western raku tradition, developed from the mid-twentieth century onward, adapted the rapid-firing and post-firing reduction principle to a wider range of decorative and sculptural ceramic work.
Connections
Associated With
Peter Voulkos, Artists Voulkos worked within the American studio ceramics movement that drew on raku firing traditions.
Sgraffito and raku are both ceramic surface and firing techniques used to distinctive decorative effect.
Sources
Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationRaku, Wikipedia summary leadQuote, Raku, Wikipedia summary lead
Raku ware is a type of Japanese pottery traditionally used in Japanese tea ceremonies, most often in the form of chawan tea bowls. It is traditionally characterised by hand-shaping techniques, a high degree of porosity in the finished product, lead glazes, and the removal of pieces from the kiln while still glowing hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are the cracked glaze surfaces on raku pottery considered a feature rather than a flaw?
Raku pieces are removed from the kiln while still glowing hot rather than being allowed to cool inside it, and are typically then placed into a container with combustible material. That rapid, uneven cooling produces blackened unglazed areas from smoke and reduction, and distinctive cracked, or crazed, glaze surfaces, which are prized as part of raku's characteristic look rather than treated as defects.
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